Despite giving up a plethora of walks and having several defensive lapses, the Miami Marlins' skipper praises his team's resilience and offensive spark heading into the Cincinnati Reds series.
MIAMI - Back at the Miami Marlins' home ball park, manager Clayton McCullough talked about how pleased he was with his team that just lost two of three games to the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
"We have a good team, and I think we looked at back at those three games, and as many ways that we tried to shoot ourselves in the foot and made it really difficult on ourselves with showing the walks were much talked about," McCullough said. "Walking over 30 people in a series is tough to tough to do, and there were some plays we didn't make defensively."
McCullough said despite losing the series, there was plenty to be proud of.
"We did some really nice things on the bases, made a couple of outs in tough spots, and to still be very much in all three of those games, in particular, the middle game, and to come back yesterday," McCullough said. "So, I think it's like we did a lot of things on the field that we know we're better and we can clean up. And that's very encouraging to still be in and have a chance to win a series when you certainly don't play your best."
McCullough gave his team credit for performing well following a four-hour rain delay, which could have thrown off everyone's psyche.
"Yesterday again, could have very easily for our group with the whatever, how long the rain delay was, we're there a whole long time. We then shift things up a little bit with asking [Pete Fairbanks] to open and then Chris [Paddack] to come out of the bullpen. Then, we go down right away, 3-1 after the first. It would have been, I think, very easy for us to let some of that seep in."
Coming home Sunday night to start a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday can take a toll on the players. McCullough embraces the difficulty and said it will only make his team stronger as the season progresses.
"It's been a long day. We have a long flight home, and we play tomorrow, but I think our group just, they just keep going. Offensively, we were fantastic. And so the character of our group shone through. And I think we all know we're very realistic with in order for us to think you want to have it and have the season we think we're capable of, there's just things we have to do better than we did this this weekend."
The Marlins are sitting at 6-3. According to McCullough, the team is hot at the plate and that sets the tone for the pitchers, who can pitch with a lead.
"Early on the season, the bat quality has been fantastic. And I think that's we've seen. Xavier's [Edwards] had a terrific start. Liam's [Hicks] had a terrific start. Owen Caissie, some guys have some really, you know, nice moments," McCullough said. "I think it's just more of a group. I think they've really taken on the one verses nine- type mentality, and you just kind of do what the situation asks."
McCullough does not want to look too far ahead or get too far ahead of himself. He knows its a long season and there is still a tremendous amount that needs to improve.
"It's just go put together a good at bat, try to build innings, give yourselves as many opportunities and cracks at it over the course of the game. And you do that enough, and you'll come through with some big hits," McCullough said. "I love the at bats we had in New York. We really stressed their starters and their guys in the bullpen. And had a they had they had to really work hard to get their outs."
The skipper believes the team is picking up where it left off last season, when it finished as one of the hottest teams in baseball and were not eliminated from postseason contention until September.
He knows they are going to have to put a hitting display on against the Reds. He wants to give starting pitcher Janson Junk a cushion to go out and pitch with.
"They [the Reds] have pitched very well. I mean, it's a team that had a fantastic season last year, to make to the postseason. They know they have a lot of armed talent, both in the rotation and in the bullpen.
"One thing they have done this year that will be big for us is they've walked. You know, they've they've worked at bats and walked. So we're again, take our chances in the strike zone, you know, over these, you know, four days, we just kind of get back more to we know we are from a pitching side of things, and that's just to be aggressively attacking the strike zone."
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